Can't Sleep
by IHeartFanFiction23
Summary: 4 year old Charlie can't sleep. So she sneaks out of bed and stumbles across Uncle Miles. Then the same thing happens 15 years later. Warning/Spoiler: mention of a character death. A/N: T rating just to be safe. Pre-series and then post Ep. 11


The house was silent save for the noises of the television coming from the living room.

Upstairs in her bedroom, four year old Charlotte "Charlie" Matheson tossed and turned in her bed. She was having trouble sleeping, being plagued by a nightmare no four year old should have. With a start, she woke up and tears were running down her cheeks. Knowing she wasn't going to be able to sleep, the young Matheson slipped out of her bed and padded out of her bedroom. She wanted to go in and wake her parents but her mother was unwell so she decided against it.

Deciding to head downstairs, Charlie walked over silently and tiptoed down the staircase but froze when the sound of the television going alerted her to someone in the living room. She knew her parents were asleep, so whoever was downstairs could have been dangerous.

Until the sounds of snoring could be heard and she realized who it was. Continuing downstairs and into the living room, Charlie stopped and stood there staring at the figure on the couch.

It was Uncle Miles.

It wasn't a rare sight to see Miles asleep on the couch but he hadn't been home in awhile as he explained he had to go away a few months ago. So it was a nice surprise to see him here, alive

"Aren't you supposed to be asleep?" a tired voice asked causing Charlie to jump.

Cautiously, she walked over to the couch and watched as her uncle cracked an eye open.

Miles eyed his niece wondering what she was doing up at this late an hour but when he caught sight of the tear tracks, he frowned

"Bad dream?"

Charlie nodded and the marine sighed, rolling over to make room for her

"Come on, kiddo. Get up here and tell Uncle Miles all about it."

He watched as she climbed up and lay down beside him so they were face to face. Curious to know what bad dream had plagued her, Miles knew it was probably something childish

"So, you wanna tell me what it was about?"

Charlie bit her lip

"You died."

Miles' eyes widened slightly. Okay, that was not what he was expecting. He was expecting something more along the lines of the boogieman or dinosaurs or evil queens from fairytales, not his death. Seeing the tears in her eyes, he wrapped an arm around her waist

"What happened?"

"The bad people killed you. I was there, I watched you die."

The marine closed his eyes. That was not the sort of dreams little girls of four should be having. They were supposed to be about princes, dragons and happily ever after. Not witnessing the death of a loved one. Miles knew she would go through that one day, everyone did but for now, she shouldn't have to, not even in dreams.

Unfortunately, that was the one place he couldn't protect her.

Her dreams.

From the day she was born, Charlotte Matheson had her uncle Miles wrapped around her little finger and he would give her the world, no questions asked. He would protect her and love her like the uncle he was.

Bad dreams were the only thing he couldn't protect her from but he knew, being the Matheson that she was, she would overcome these bad dreams.

Leaning forward, he pressed his forehead to hers

"Charlie, I'm right here" he opened his eyes, his brown staring into her blue "and I'm not going anywhere. Even if I do have to leave again, I'm not going to die. I would never leave you, Peanut, you know that."

Charlie nodded her little head as a tear rolled down her cheek

"Remember how I told you 'friends for life?'" she nodded "well, I meant it. We will always be friends. But Peanut, I can't promise you I won't die, I'm not going to yet but I can't make any promises that I won't."

Reaching out a hand, Charlie placed it on his cheek

"I know."

Miles kissed her forehead, glad that she understood. She was very smart for a four year old

"Time for bed."

Charlie shook her head, adamantly refusing to return to her bedroom. She knew if she went back to sleep, she would be plagued with the bad dreams again.

Sighing, Miles relented, that's how it usually was with him, and allowed her to roll over to face the television. Reaching out with his free hand, he picked up the remote and flicked through the channels until he stopped on a late night Spongebob marathon on Nickelodeon

"Alright, you can sleep here with me then."

As they lay watching Spongebob together, Miles knew he would always be there for Charlie no matter what. If not in person, then in spirit and in her heart. He loved his Peanut and knew she would always love him, no matter what would happen later in life.

**oOo**

**15 years later**

It was like that night all over again only this time; the dreams that plagued her were not of his death but of Danny's. He could hear her whimpers and silent mutterings in her sleep and wanted to go to her but that was what Rachel could do now, again after not having been there for a long time.

Miles wouldn't wish this life on any child but ever since the blackout 15 years ago, things had been different and lives were changed all over the world.

And Charlie had been one of those children who had her life changed in the blink of an eye. Now she was travelling with him, fighting against the militia he and Monroe had formed years ago. Saving lives and killing people.

This was never the life he envisioned for her.

There were times when all Miles would do was wish he could turn back time to when Charlie was younger and he could talk and laugh with her before all this chaos happened. To comfort her from her nightmares, kiss her forehead and go for drives or laze on the couch watching Spongebob with her and even Danny.

Miles heard her gasp as she awoke and Rachel's voice, trying to calm her daughter. It soon turned into frantic calls and Miles turned his head as he heard footsteps before Charlie appeared and there was the same look on her face from when she was four.

And who was he to deny her; after all she had been through?

Her father, Maggie and now Danny.

She rushed to him as he stood and scooped her up into his arms, carrying her away to somewhere private as she sobbed in his arms.

Finding a secluded spot from prying eyes, Miles sat down and held Charlie as she grieved for her loss. Pressing a kiss to the top of her head, he tried to soothe her as best as he could

"Shhhhhh, its okay, Peanut, its okay. Danny's in a better place now, with your dad and Maggie. They'll be watching over us, always and know they're happy" the sobs pulled at his heartstrings "I know it hurts, Peanut, its okay, let it all out. I'm not going anywhere, you hear me?"

When Charlie glanced up at him and seeing that he meant it, she pressed her head against his shoulder and continued to weep as Miles felt his own tears.

He had a feeling neither of them would be able to sleep that night.

**The End**


End file.
